Texas governor’s race

Rick Perry, longest-serving governor in Texas history (2000-present), will not be the lone star on the ballot this year; he faces a Republican primary challenge from three-term U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. Neither is beloved of enviros: Perry tried to fast-track new coal plants in Texas and has been skeptical about climate science, and both Perry and Hutchison have criticized the cap-and-trade bill in Congress.  Perry, who’s more popular amongst the conservative wing of the party, has been leading in polls, but the March 2 primary will be closely watched. On the Democratic side, former Houston mayor Bill White is likely to get the nomination. White opposed Perry’s plan to push through new coal plants, and successfully pursued a number of green goals while at the helm in Houston, including boosting energy efficiency, upping green building standards, expanding rail transit and bike paths, and buying hybrids for the city’s fleet. White, who served as deputy secretary of energy under President Clinton, appears to be clued in about the dangers of climate change, but prefers to talk instead about growing his state’s clean-energy industries and cleaning up the air — probably a smart approach in Texas.  Perry and Hutchinson are both polling ahead of White.